Wiels, who had sent his bodyguard home, was enjoying a beer on the island’s Marie Pampoen beach, near the capital, Willemstad, when two gunmen approached him and fired five shots, according to a BBC report.

Michael Kooren / EPA, file

Politician Helmin Wiels, who was shot dead on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao on Sunday.

"This act was horrendous, terrible, and we are in shock,” said Curacao’s Prime Minister Daniel Hodge, according to the BBC. "We are not accustomed to these things on the island.”

The government of Curacao -- which has a population of about 150,000 and lies just to the north of Venezuela -- said the Netherlands had offered to help with the investigation into the killing.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the apparent assassination was a "cowardly deed."

"Curacao has lost a driven politician who fought for his ideals and loved his country," Rutte said, according to the BBC.